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Monday, December 17, 2007

This is a presentation I developed for the State of Washington that is an introduction to Second Life for instructors who have never heard of it before. This is for those faculty members who you know would benefit from this but don't really know what it is. I made this using Articulate Presenter. I have more presentations coming soon on developing curriculum in Second Life and how to design assignments.

Friday, December 14, 2007

We here are Tacoma Community College are going to be more involved in film making. I want to do more to capture on film things that teachers do in the classroom that works well for other teachers. This collection of of links for Karl Kapp showed up just in time!

Thursday, December 13, 2007

As strange as this sounds, people seem to care as much about how you look in Second Life as they do in First Life. You may remember what this is: it is a world filled with avatars who fly around, have jobs, socialize and meet for education projects. And Second Life is like this too. After talking with people in Second Life, some told me that my avatar was unprofessional looking -- it was too generic and too new looking. It was like representing the school in a dirty rain coat. I had a lot of lindens (Second Life money) because a paid account gets an allowance. I rarely spend any money because I spend most of my time in education sites and projects were stuff is free or very cheap. But I started to talk to people in and out of Second Life and they said "yes, it does matter." I shows that I don't care what I look like, have not spent anytime customizing my avatar, and that I must not hang out with regulars and veterans of the virtual world. I was stunned at first but why would it be any different in Second Life as it is in First Life? I went with an acquaintance who decided to help me shop for skin, hair, eyes and clothes (out of mercy for me and to preserve her reputation as someone who does not hangout with newbie dorktards). It felt like a cross between "Frankenstein" and "Queer Eye." We teleported to all of these shops looking at avatar bodies. We picked one that looked vaguely like me if you were looking into a Futuroscope with squinty eyes into an alternative universe in which I was reincarnated as a male model. The skin has raging muscles, tan, gorgeous, and the package comes with a flaccid penis. You can wear it or not just like a pair of sunglasses. I never thought I would ever live to say that I would PAY for a flaccid penis. I bought hair, eyes that look like they reflect light and move, nice clothes, and a Rolex watch. My old avatar had died and was reborn in Orange County.

It is strange looking at all this as a Buddhist. There in Second Life, avatars are born, live in an essentially immaterial world and crave material things.

Sunday, December 09, 2007

CogDogRoo � StoryTools: "The Fifty Tools Below you will find 50 web tools you can use to create a story. Again, your mission here is not to review every single one, but pick one that sounds interesting and see if you can produce something. I have used each tool to produce an example of Dominoe story and links provided where available to examples by other people. Please share your products or thoughts in the discussion area of this wiki."

I beg to differ. I think we do need a review of each of these tools. Not all web 2.0 tools were created equal. I think this would be a good project for this blog as each one of these could certainly be used in my English classes.

Rob Cottingham at Social Signal wrote a brief posting on the Second Life Framework project. This allows interaction between Drupal and Second Life. I work as a consultant for the Tacoma Challenge which is using the open source content management system Drupal as its platform. We are also using Second Life in the nursing program. This new module is exactly what companies like Blackboard have been looking for: a way to get projects and scripts in Second Life to speak to programs and databases outside of SL. Blackboard offered a $25,000 prize for anyone who could do this in Bb. I think it is extremely typical, funny, and ironic that the ones who do it first are the open source community. The state board in WA has just purchased an island in SL to host projects at the various community and technical colleges. This integration of Drupal and SL will certainly be on that list of projects.

This story has a lot of interesting implications for virtual worlds. When the story first went around, it sounded like someone was arrested for stealing a virtual item, and in a sense, this is true. But the really critical issue is that the teens stole passwords to gain access to account that had money associated with them. This is just fraud.

Monday, November 26, 2007

I have been working with John Miller on grants and research into Second Life for about a year now. His first class in Second Life has been what I would consider an unqualified resounding success. Often, Second Life, a 3-d, multi-user, virtual environment, is used as an online meeting room. There are good reasons to do that; it can be a great meeting space because of the range of expression, demonstration, and participation that is possible in this space. But its most powerful asset is the ability to create 3-d animated simulations. Combined with role-playing, instructors have a very powerful teaching tool. Click on the link above to the article for an example.

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

These are photos from John Miller's presentation, my walk over the bridge, and the round table we went to. This was hard. There were so many interesting people, I was just stunned. It was great to make contact with people who I have known online and now get to meet in person.

This was a presentation I rode shotgun on with John Miller at the League for Innovation's Conference on Information Technology. It is on teaching in Second Life.

Using Second Life’s 3D Online World to Train Online Students

Instructional designers and faculty in any educational program will benefit from this presentation. Included in this presentation is the unveiling of an innovative emergency/nursing education simulator (NESIM). Live patient simulations will be created and role played while RN student teams use the NESIM simulator to apply critical thinking skills and interventions.

1. Learn about SL 2. Learn how to use SL for education 3. Learn how to use simulators for interactive education 4. Learn how to develop basic simulation strategies and incorporate them into existing courses 5. Learn how to train in medical fields in SL

SL Time & Location - ISTE Auditorium http://slurl.com/secondlife/ISTE%20Island/207/51/23 1:15pm SLT, Monday, November 12, 2007. Be prompt. This is a multi-location presentation in SL. The presentation will begin and end at ISTE Auditorium.

SL Event Information and Instructions

* Join the group, CIT ‘07 SL Nursing Ed Sim, before the conference. The presentation will be in voice, in group mode using this group. Please go to Preferences, Voice Chat, put a check in the boxes Enable voice chat and Start Viewer in Push-to-Talk mode. Please make sure that Push-to-Talk in toggle mode is not checked. This will eliminate sounds from your rl on the listening end. Please only press to speak, Push-to-Talk trigger) if specifically invited to by the moderator, padlurowncanoe Dibou. * A landmark to NESIM will be sent out in a group notice. NESIM is usually “access list only” but will be open during the presentation. * Please IM text the moderator, padlurowncanoe Dibou, with questions during the presentation. She will forward them to the appropriate presenter. Any questions not addressed during the Q&A, will receive a personal response, post-presentation. * Direct pre and post event questions to padlurowncanoe Dibou by IM, notecard, or email, padln@hotmail.com * Direct NESIM pre and post event inquiries to JS Vavoom by notecard or email, jsvavoom@gmail.com

Where are we going with all technologies and the opportunities thye represent.Evolution of EducationShifts in knowledge and skillsDevelopment of new teaching methodsChanges in learningsEmerging information tech is changing all of these.

He showed an animoto type film that was part of a Panasonic commercial.

The World is Flat by Thomas L. FriedmanEmerging interactive mediaNew work uses new tech but we are teaching with old tech.Changes: thinking is now distributed (across space, time, and media).

Showed another video from Microsoft. (Annoying, loud and long.)Microsoft also makes crap films.

Jenkin’s Framework for New LiteraciesDon Leu’s “Characteristics of New Literacies”

He made the point that microprocessors are everywhere. A possibility of an “animistic world.” “Smart objects and intelligent contexts” enable “augmented realities.”

Harvard’s hand-held devices projectsGood for portable research assistants and traveling conduits for learning.

Lecture is a weak form of teaching.

“Handheld Augmented Reality Project” Another video was shown. This project used handhelds to engage students in roleplaying and problem solving using language and math. Used pocket PCs with GPS devices. He wants to do the same thing in the future with GPS enabled phones.Each team has a GPSVirtual charactersVideoMaps

Visualized Learning: Technology,Convergence, and LearningInnovations in visualized learning have fueled a convergence of technological advancement,acceptance, and advanced learning, and can be effectively connected to online, real-time assessment and other learning modalities using 3D digital objects and other visual assets. Session participants interact with these immersive technologies and become aware of the potential impact of this convergence.

Innovation and environmentHow do we appeal to all types of learners no matter what their age or learning style. He spoke of digital natives, immigrants, and millenials and then coined the term "centurians" for those who are in multiple centuries (???) Anyway...

Telepresence and tele-environments

Technology is creating new kinds of learning environments.Visual environments that are totally immersive like SIQuant, a virtual model of 10 actual Portugese villages.

The software creates 3-d models to help learners "see" and experience the object being worked on. Example: a manufacturing plant uses 80 robots to create a product. It would cost too much to create training facilities that would train all of the workers. This software can do a lot of that work.

He had a slide that quoted Neil Fleming--a collection of data is not information--a collection of information is not knowledge--a collection of knowledge is not wisdom--a collection of wisdom is not truth

11:00 AM From Tagging to Teaching : Practical Examples of using Blackboard Scholar for Social BookmarkingGrand Rapids Community CollegeAgenda• Define social bookmarking• Provide an overview of Scholar• How GRCC got started with Scholar• Examples in Teaching and Learning• Scholar in the future

They defined social bookmarking.The practice of saving bookmarks to a public web site and tagging them with keywords.Saving your bookmarks online, share resources, discover new links, and tag your bookmarks.

Social bookmarking is resource sharing. A resource is anything with a URL.

Bb Scholar is part of the Blackboard Beyond InitiativeCentrally hostedIntegrated with BlackboardCustomized for education

RSS reader

Has social networking abilities.

It must be accessed through an LMS. Accounts are free and they don’t go away.

Gave a basic explanation of folksonomies and the intelligence of crowds. Overtime people begin to use the same kinds of tags. Others begin to shape how everyone else begins to use the information.

The tag cloud feature works a lot like delicious.

Instructors can create a “Scholar Course Site” – the only ones who can access the page is the members of the class. Instructors can move the elements of the page from course to course. This still feels like how to make web 2.0 back into web 1.0.

Educational uses of Social Bookmarking:Enhance computer literacyAllow students to contribute to course resourcesProvide student-centered learningSocial networking with an academic focus

They are using for basically gathering resources. Sharing links.

This tool is for instructors that do not understand the true power of web 2.0 and are really concerned about control and access.They are still concerned about librarians and teachers as gatekeepers to knowledge.There is a sharing piece to it. One of the real strengths of a true web 2.0 app is the collective wisdom of the unwashed masses. As Charlie Crawford said to me, "the barbarians are at the gates and they are not going back!"

9:45 AM – 10:45The Best of Both Worlds: Second Life + Moodle = Sloodle!See how the world’s most popular learning management system can be linked to the mostpopular 3D virtual world. Sloodle incorporates tools within Second Life that tie to a Moodle installation, allowing for in-world blogs that post to a website, chats between avatars and online students, and even in-world attendance tracking. Come learn how this exciting project started, where it stands now, and where it is headed.

Used a flickr account at the beginning of the presentation – it was a collection of pictures from Second Life.

He opened the presentation with Radio Paradise in Windows Media Player.Handed out a playing card that had the URL www.tropicalteachers.com

He discussed the importance of mood established by creating an environment – he used images and pictures to open the workshop to create an atmosphere.

They have a campus Island. He is offering office space for free for educators.

There are weekly meetings sloodle.

Question: how do you create a mashup between Moodle and SL? Why would you want to do this?

Second Life is good for:1. Proximity2. Emotional investment

Every Weds. 2:00 PM there is a developers meeting.

Jeremy Kemp at San Jose State headed up sloodle.

A mash-up actually has to use an API. Code that allows other programs to talk to one another.

Linden Labs made the code open source (the client not the server)

Question: How does a quiz happen in Second Life? Is it something that we should be doing in SL? Quizzes can be given some visual reinforcement.

There is a chat integration between sl & moodle. They use a chat logger. If someone was logged into Moodle, they can use this to chat with people in Second Life. This allows others who can not get into SL, are on a PDA, or a low connection speed.

He has a history instructor that gives extra credit for building virtual, historical sites.

Why would you want to give a slide show in SL? There is a sense of being and communicating in a space. There is a powerpoint that discusses this. But he says it is too long. The screens are going to be able to share from Flickr.

They are asking what is appropriate for teaching. An HUD for students should be able to reflect how people communicate in real time.

He considers Second Life as a 3-d web.

He used the Sloodle toolbar HUD (heads up display). User still has to authenticate into Moodle. The HUD has a blog and classroom gestures. The 3d world has a line of communication between SL & Moodle. HUD puts all the gestures one needs all in one place.

There are modules you have to install on Moodle.

Princeton just bought 9 islands.

We were at a place in SL called sloodleville (Sloodle Learning Center).

They are using Moodle and Second Life. They are using SL in online courses. A real estate course and an art course use SL.

They gave a basic, step-by-step demonstration on how to set up an account. The description should have given more of an idea that this was going to be a basic beginners’ demonstration. They should have taken some kind of poll to figure out if anyone is using SL or not.

Tacoma Community College has created an online course development process. The process is designed to support faculty by providing a clear time-line for course development, a discussion of what kind of training faculty will need to develop and teach online courses, the kind of support faculty will need, and online course development rubrics for quality assurance and peer review.Available Resources

The following resources have been provided by this session's speaker(s). To download a file, right click the link and select "Save Target As" or "Save Link As."

Flow Chart Poster [PPT 155 KB ] This was the file we used to make our flow chart of our course development process. October 26, 2007 1:32 PM

Course Development Timeline [DOC 31 KB ] A time line is a useful way to communicate to faculty exactly what kind of time commitment is involved in developing courses. October 26, 2007 1:34 PM

Course Review Rubric [DOCX 18 KB ] This was the rubric that we used to make another poster. Developing a rubric for your institution will require that everyone in your particular institution jointly understands the outcomes and goals of the course, the division, and the principles of distance learning. In other words, there is no out-of-the-box solution to this. October 26, 2007 1:37 PM

Course Development Guide [DOC 112 KB ] This is the online course development guide we give to instructors. The idea behind the guide is to let the instructors know all of the resources that are available to them. This is meant to be a process that not only ensures quality but also supports faculty. October 26, 2007 1:40 PM

Course Sign-Off Form [DOC 35 KB ] Again, this form is not only for our record keeping, but also a way to provide instructors an idea about all of the people that are here to help them through the course development process. October 26, 2007 1:42 PM

All of these forms are customized to our institution and are here for research and discussion purposes (your results may vary). We are very interested in your feedback in this ever evolving process. If you use or revise this documents, please email us at gcain@tacomacc.edu so we can take advantage of your research as well.

* David Thomas, Lecturer, School of Architecture and Planning, University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center

Second Life is a user-created virtual world simultaneously played by thousands of people around the world. In this session, we'll share our experiences of teaching in Second Life. Using the interaction combinations integration model we developed as a framework, we will describe our projects, outcomes, and recommendations.

They began in SL on NMC Campus. 140, 124, 116

They are currently creating an operating room in SL.

Skyart Seurat

Pietro Maracas

Joanna TrailBlazer

Professor Beliveau

Corwin Carrilon

They immediately ran into sound issues.

Over half of the audience had an avatar.

Questions: How can we teach with this.

Three basic ways for teaching and learning in SL.

Classes like gaming and virtual communities

Using as a communication medium

Discussions

Lectures

Presentations

Student built deliverables

Using is for learning activities.

They have come up with a model that uses interactions in three combinations:

People/People

People/Object

Object/Object

Professor Beliveau uses this to deliver lectures, allow students to report their work, and they also use a blog. Two classes: field research in virtual worlds, then the field research class with advanced techniqes -- a semester long field research project. No coding or building. Careful about subject protection.

David Thomas uses SL to teach architecture and urban planning and uses SL as a lab. Because he teaches environmental design he can use SL itself to study places in SL. He sends them off on field trips in SL. There are some building activities where they have to compete or cooperate. Students all hated building in Second Life. These students have used CAD software. Dynamic, active, independent learning. His one rule: "Don't do anything on screen that will get your teacher fired."

R.? Hollingsworth

She says that she is not facile with Second Life. Librarians in Second Life from University of Kentucky first introduced her to SL. Caladon Library exhibits. Recruiters are using it as a way to experiment with role-playing "how to be a scholar" and how colleges work. "Between shadow and light: comingling between virtual realities"

A panelist from Hong Kong who didn't identify himself

For a year, teachers group in SL. Usually sometime between 20 to 40 teachers all meet to meet in SL. He also teaches courses in how to teach using Web 2.0. He talked about being a professional development professional.

Someone asked about scripting and another asked about finances.

One panelist has been using the free services for two years.

Question: Hints on how to convince administrations in conservative institutions

Univ. of Kentucky decided to buy an island to "protect" the students.

What is the future of this in higher education? In about three to five years from now it will be a part of what we do as teachers. About 25 % of our teachers will be using this. There are lots of virtual worlds.

GeoffCain: Indigenous Cultures: From Observing to Experiencing, from Videography to 3D VR Immersion: "Indigenous Cultures: From Observing to Experiencing, from Videography to 3D VR Immersion Wednesday, October 24 10:30 a.m. – 11:20 a.m. Track 1: Indigenous Cultures: From Observing to Experiencing, from Videography to 3D VR Immersion Grand Ballroom C, 2nd Floor (Sheraton Hotel) * Linc Kesler, Director & Associate Professor, First Nations Studies Program, The University of British Columbia * Ulrich Rauch, Director, Arts Instructional Support & Information Technology, The University of British Columbia A challenge arises in making digital information and communication technologies accessible to indigenous communities. From digital preservation of cultural and historic artifacts to embedding culturally sensitive materials in academic courses, technology can become a double-edged sword: it can be deployed to obfuscate a critical analysis of how “communication” is understood as meaningful by First Nations themselves."

The Rapid eLearning Blog: An e-book by an author who uses Articulate. "Everyone wants to create e-learning courses that engage their learners. Yet there’s a lot of debate about what exactly engagement means. So I figured I’d boil down the different ways to engage learners and see how we can use them to make our elearning courses better."

About Me

I am an instructor and education consultant. I am interested in open education resources, open textbooks, online teaching and learning, course development, and Connectivism. I have also taught English at all levels both face-to-face and online.